


Powerless Hakurei Tales 12.3:  Touhou Hisoutensoku

by Carmichael_Micaalus



Series: Powerless Hakurei Tales [14]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 19:48:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17731514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmichael_Micaalus/pseuds/Carmichael_Micaalus
Summary: Giants, Robots, and Dreams, oh my!  With the Buddhists settling in, not all is as it seems!  As Meiling tells her whopper of a tale, Cirno is busy saying everyone in Gensokyo!  Will she succeed?!  Will Sanae be able to finish her task before all hell breaks loose?  Just what was Suwako thinking?!





	Powerless Hakurei Tales 12.3:  Touhou Hisoutensoku

Touhou Hisoutensoku

 

    Meiling’s Story

 

“Hah!”  Taisui Xingjun snorted as Meiling landed.  “If you think… such an a-attack could… urgh…”

“You fool.”  The redhead declared as the massive catfish slumped over, feeling the delayed release of energy from her strike.  “You are already dead.”

“No- no!”  Taisui screamed, light pouring from his body.  “After so long, I can’t be-!” Before he could finish, the giant catfish exploded, showering the outer wall in blood and chunks of meat.

 

* * *

 

“...and that was the dream I had.”

Mima gave the dragon a hateful glare as others at the table sat politely, unsure of the reason for the interruption.  When Meiling started talking as she moved Reimu to her lap, Byakuren and Shou were certain the story would have to do with what was being discussed.  Keine and the others, however, had been to enough of the parties at the Hakurei Shrine to know otherwise. Unfortunately for them, only one person at the supposedly private gathering had the knowledge of how to successfully interrupt the dragon, and Reimu seemed to be enjoying the tale.

“I like Reisen just enough not to kill you, Hong.”  The lich growled. “But you’re taxing her good will.”

“Aw, come on!”  She countered with a grin.  “Don’t you think it’s really weird to imagine _Reimu_ of all people to try and attack someone?  I mean-”

“It was a good story, Miss Meiling.”  Reimu leaned back to look at the gate guard, patting the arm holding the shrine maiden in place.  “But we’re almost done with our discussions here. We can talk about it afterwards, if you’d like.”

“Eh, fair enough.”

“So…” Mima’s eyes slid back towards the head priest.  “Did you have any more questions on what we’re expecting as far as known-slash-established troublemakers seeking refuge at your temple?”

The two exchanged looks and nodded before turning their attention back to Mima.  “Your terms are acceptable.” Byakuren acknowledged. “We will also be doing our best to protect the humans as well.  We are, after all, trying to create unity between everyone.”

“Neat.”  Mima sighed, her fraying patience beginning to show.  “Don’t think you’ll find-”

“Not the time for your quips, Mima.”  Kiene grit her teeth, well aware of where the spirit was heading.

“Lady Yakumo, Divinity Yasaka,” Using the interruption to keep the conversation civil, Reimu turned to the others at the table.  “Do either of you have any questions or concerns which you feel still need to be addressed?”

“Well, if you don’t think the competition will be a problem,” Kanako gave the shrine maiden a playful wink, “then the Moriya Shrine is fine with this.  I believe we can provide some assistance in the construction of your temple, if you desire. The kappa are quite industrious.”

“We may take you up on that offer, Divinity.”  Shou smiled. “You have my thanks.”

“Lady Yakumo?”  Reimu asked once more.

Yukari had remained silent through the entire meeting, only speaking when directly spoken to.  Though she had yet to add anything of her own, it was clear to the residents of the shrine she was paying close attention to everyone.  Turning to the shrine maiden, the youkai sage gave her familiar enigmatic smile.

“I have no qualms.”  She answered. Nodding in thanks, Reimu turned to the blue-haired hakutaku.

“Defender Kamishirasawa, we will be certain to visit the school at a more regular basis.  While I foresee no problems from the residents of the new temple, I am aware that any new group in a society can cause moments of unwanted chaos.  We will do our best to help you shoulder the burden.”

“I could always stand guard for ya!”  Meiling chimed in, earning an Unamused Teacher Stare from Keine.

“Were you not the one who crashed this meeting to tell us about a _dream_ you had while at _work?_ ”  She asked pointedly.

“Hey- hey- hey-”

“We’re almost done, Miss Meiling.”  Reimu whispered. “Please be patient.”

“An increased presence while they’re setting up should keep the people calm.”  Mima yawned, ready to return to the party raging outside. The villagers are a bunch of idiots-”

“Mima…”

“-but seeing you, Mokou, and Reimu around while the building goes on will probably keep things how you like it.  At any rate…” the lich glared at the dragon for a moment before turning back to the others, “...my patience has been taxed enough, and we’ve accomplished all we can without seeing how everyone’s going to react to the events, so this is where we’re cutting things.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I left my supplies with my daughter.”

As the spectre disappeared into a crumbling cloud of smoke, the others stood.

“Thank you very much, everyone.”  Reimu bowed. “I’m glad we were able to talk this evening; I believe we still have more than enough time to enjoy the party, if anyone wishes to do so.”

“I suppose I should try and enjoy the respite before the workload increases…” Keine sighed as the others filtered out, each murmuring a word of thanks as they left.  Reimu turned to Meiling as Hourai gave the gate guard an unamused stare.

“So what’s this about Reimu _attacking_ people?”  The doll demanded.  “Have you been listening to Koakuma’s fantastical tales again?”

“N-no, I really _did_ attack her once…” The shrine maiden mumbled, her face red.  Meiling chuckled in response as she ruffled Reimu’s hair.

“Nah, this was just a dream.”  She assured the doll. “And we all know about the ‘headwing incident’ at the mansion.  It was mostly weird because I couldn’t wake from it, though! I mean, you’ve seen me when Marisa tries to sneak by; I’m usually waking up in the middle of my counter attack!”

“That… _is_ odd.”  Reimu nodded as they stepped outside.  “What do you think it means?”

“Mm, hard to say.”  Meiling shrugged as she lifted a bottle from an unconscious party goer.  “It’s not like I’m the type to have prophetic dreams, so I doubt it’s a vision to come, but… well, Mima kinda specializes in really weird things, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt for her to know about it.”

“That's true.”  The shrine maiden nodded, waving to Cirno and Aya.  “Well, she knows now, so at least there's that.”

 

“Hey Ma.”  Marisa smiled as the apparition appeared.  “How'd it-”

“I need either a smoke, or some dragonsbane.”  Mima muttered, glaring back at the shrine. “Not really picky on which right now.”

“Heh!  She mentioned she wanted to talk do you.”  Marisa handed her mother the primed pipe. “What was it about?”

“Just that you missed a prime opportunity to hit the library…”

“Excuse you!”  Patchouli turned her way, the librarian’s eyebrows forming a V.

“Well, it's true!” The lich shrugged before blowing out a cloud of smoke.  “At least I could have had something interesting to read while she was going on and on!”

“At least she did not roughhouse you in the process!”

The pipe moved away as an unexpected chuckled formed.  “That's because she didn't reach her old age by being _completely_ stupid.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Patchouli let out an annoyed groan.

Slowly exhaling, the spectre turned her attention towards the party, watching the people completely unaware of the presence of the circle of magicians.

“...did you fight the avatar?”  Mima asked quietly, passing the pipe back.  Her daughter shook her head before taking her turn.

“No, Reimu took care of that one on all fronts… well, her and Hourai at one point.”

“Mm.”  The lich stared out into the crowd.  “Be careful if you do; she’s a lot faster and stronger than she looks.  She seems level-headed, but…” Mima’s eyes narrowed, focusing on something off in the distance.  “...she’s very protective of them. Granted, when you lose something precious to you for over a thousand years…”

Marisa let out a grunt as she passed the pipe to Patchouli, who immediately passed it to the puppeteer.  “I know I can’t read people as well as you or Reimu, but they don’t seem like too bad of a lot.”

“...no.”  Focusing on those around her once more, the spectre shook her head.  “No, I’m not getting any vibes we should worry about from any of ‘em.  They’re hiding stuff, of course, but…”

“I think it’s safe to say we all are.”  Her daughter nodded, taking the pipe back from Alice.  “At least I know Reimu’s intuition wasn’t compromised on them.”

“ _That_ was the source of your recent unease?”  Patchouli asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised.

“Well…” Marisa frowned at her friend, “it’s not something I can just beat up, so… yes.”

The librarian continued to stare in disbelief before shaking her head.  “You need to have more faith in your sister. While she may remain adorably optimistic for one of her standing and age, she is quite clearly tempered with wisdom from her experiences.”

Marisa said nothing in response, pulling her hit as she stared hard at Patchouli.  She passed the empty pipe back to her mother, not breaking eye contact with the librarian.

“...I realize-”

“ _I am aware of my sister's intuition, thank you_.”  She finally intoned, smoke pouring from her mouth.  “I think I just _fuckin’ said I know I can’t read people as well as others-_ ”

Gritting her teeth, Marisa stopped as she felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder.

“...apologies, it was not my intention to rouse your anger.”  The librarian bowed her head. “I was unaware of how heavily this weighed upon your mind.”

“I- I- I- I get that she’s good.  I get it.” The human magician sighed, taking the refilled pipe back.  “I just…”

Scooting over, Alice placed a hand on her friend’s back.  Marisa let out another sigh of frustration.

“...I don’t know how I’m supposed to help her if she _does_ fuck up.  There’s no such thing as a perfect record.  Eventually… someone’s just not gonna listen.  Like, ever.”

“...well.”  Patchouli started as Marisa struck the lighter.  “As callous as this may sound… that is not your problem.  Much like how combat is not Reimu’s problem.”

“If I fail, it _becomes_ her problem…”

The librarian’s eyes narrowed.  “If you are going to resort to pedantry, then technically _escape_ is her problem, should you be found wanting for your task.”  Her face softening at Marisa’s sudden laugh, Patchouli continued on.  “The point I am getting at is should she fail, she is not going to turn to you to fix it, she is going to turn to you for a safeguarded exit.   _That_ is how you assist her.”

“Mm.”  Having calmed down to a degree, Marisa nodded.

“And, should you still be concerned of those she has been facing as of late, it is important to remember that Divinity Kochiya is actually something of a diplomat as-”

“Nn-!”  With a growl, Mima shook her head at the mention of the wind charmer; Patchouli’s brows pinched at the interruption.

“We- we _are_ secure, here.”  She motioned to the scroll pulsing away, hiding the group from attention of the rest.  “I can assure you, it does w-”

“ _There_ you guys are!”  Sanae growled, walking directly towards them.  “Where the hell have you been?!”

“Speak, and she shall appear…” Mima’s muttered comment was lost on the librarian, still staring at the approaching wind charmer in confusion.

“How- what-?”  She looked at her scroll once more.  “This should be…”

“She overrides hermit paths Patche,” Marisa explained, passing to Alice, “she’s not in control of her power.”

Patchouli continued to stare at her scroll.  “...that is most frustrating.”

“Almost as frustrating as people talking about you as if you’re not there.”  Sanae countered, sitting next to the only other human present.

“You should not even be-!”

“What’cha need, Sanae?”  Mima interrupted, knowing full well the librarian would not received a satisfactory answer.

“Still trying to get someone to tell me what Hijiri meant by youkai and gods being the same thing.”  The wind charmer looked at the two of magician blood. “And I heard you were doing some sort of research on that.”

“Ah… oh!”  Alice blinked in realization.  “Not… exactly that subject, we’re investigating the changes in the youkai in Gensokyo.  But as far as what Sister Byakuren said…” She held her chin for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.  “Well, both are types of spiritual beings, requiring belief for their existence. That was why Gensokyo was created, afterall; people’s belief in youkai had been in the decline, causing them to die off.”

Sanae winced; it was a subject she was quite familiar with, but the connection left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“There are differences, of course, but that is most likely what she was alluding to.”  The puppeteer continued on. “Youkai are even capable of ascending, as we’ve seen with Divinity Reiuji.  I’m honestly surprised no one here resorted to tapping a youkai to act as the god of the Hakurei Shrine while it was empty…”

“Never found a good match.”  Mima answered as the wind charmer continued to process what she had been told.  “That, and I never told Reimu we could do that; I didn’t want that colouring her perspective of everyone she’d met.  With how talkative she is, I knew I’d find out one way or another if she had found someone worthy.”

“...hmph.”  Sanae finally let out a grunt in response to the answers.  “I still don't like it.”

“Luckily, we don't have to like how the world works for it to continue spinning.”  Mima shrugged as her daughter handed the wind charmer a bottle of vodka. “Just like how I don’t like you and my daughter drinking that _swill_ , but you still do.”

“It- it's not that bad…” Sanae mumbled after taking a swig from the bottle.  “It gets the job done, at any rate.”

“I suppose I can appreciate that mentality.”  The lich nodded to herself. “But seriously; that shit’s not for consumption.  Just because you can count on your power of miracles to keep your liver alive doesn’t mean you _should_.”

Marisa smiled to herself as she leaned back, watching her mother and her friend from the mountain bicker over alcohol as the party raged around them.  The night would be far from quiet, but she could tell it would be a calm evening regardless.

 

“Do you have any other plans for the evening?”

“Hm…” The gate guard thought for a moment.  “With my dream delivered, I’m probably going to stop by Eientei and visit Reisen.”  She looked down at the shrine maiden and smiled. “Would you like me to deliver your love to her?”

“Yes please!” Reimu beamed.  “Tell her all of us miss her, and we're here for her if she needs anything.”

“Will do!”

Giving the shrine maiden a hug, Meiling waved as she left the party.  Reimu's gaze lingered for a moment before turning her attention to the rest of the party.  While she knew the night would be long, she knew it to be something to look forward to.

 

Cirno's Story

 

Standing in the entryway to the living room as best she could, Mima covered her face with both hands, refusing to look at the sight before her.  Alice smiled patiently.

“Good afternoon, Mi-”

“You were supposed to be one of the good ones, Alice.” The lich muttered weakly.  “Why would betray me like this?”

“Oh, come now.  Don't be so melodra-”

“This is revenge for Makai, isn't it?  You've been biding your time-”

“It's ‘cause I'm…  the strongest…!” Cirno declared as Alice set a plate of pancakes before the ice fairy.  “You're welcome for saving oh… _literally_ everyone in Gensokyo.”

Mima sighed, still covering her face.

“... do you want to hear about it…?”  Alice asked sweetly.

“I want her gone, Alice.”

“Well, I owe her a meal, and-”

“Go treat her at your house, then.”

“-I need to talk to Hourai about her sister.”

Slowly lowering her hands, the lich looked at the doll in blue on Alice's shoulder; Shanghai smiled and shook her head.

“No- no, not me, magister.”

“Ugh…” Floating over, the spectre sat opposite of the ice fairy.  “You better have another plate of those.”

 

* * *

 

“Cirno dear, where are you headed?”  Daiyousei called out to her friend; the ice fairy paused, waiting for the great fairy to catch up.

“Hey Dai, Meiling told me and Aya about a huge giant cat in Gensokyo!  I'm gonna go find it!”

“That- that was a dream, Cirno.”  Daiyousei explained patiently. “And it wasn't a-”

“No, I'm pretty sure she told me about it…”  the ice fairy scratched her chin, growing uncertain.

“Miss Meiling's story about the catfish, it was a dream she had.”

“Oh…” Cirno slowly nodded in understanding.  “But-”

“There is no giant cat.” Knowing her friend's simple mind well, Daiyousei worked quickly to nip the problem in the bud.  “It's okay Cirno. How about we go visit the Fairies of Light? I know they've been missing you.”

“Well…”

“Hey, you crazy kids hear about the giant?”

The two flinched before turning to face the short curse god.  Suwako gave them a toothy grin as Cirno moved in front of her friend.

“Hey, you looking to become the god of knuckle sandwiches?”  The ice fairy puffed up. “If not, then step back!”

“We heard about Miss Meiling's dream, Divinity Moriya.” Daiyousei bowed.

“Nah, nah…” undeterred, Suwako pressed on, “this is a giant _Giant_.  Like a big person.”

“Oh, so like, five feet tall?”  Cirno folded her arms. “That's like a giant to you, right?”

The curse god's smile remained, despite the obvious stress it was under.  “You don't have any room to talk, shortstack.”

“I'm a fairy.  You're the one who claims to be a god-”

“Cirno, please stop egging her on.”

“So you haven't heard anything about like…” Suwako thought for a moment, “a big gold giant seen around Gensokyo?”

“I'm afraid not, divinity.” The great fairy bowed once more; Cirno continued to stare, the gears in her head slowly turning.

“Wait, I think I know who you're talking about, you mean in Old Hell, right?”

“...I can work with that.” The curse god smirked. “Yeah-”

“She's bronze, not gold.” The ice fairy folded her arms once more, oblivious to the throbbing vein on Suwako's forehead.  “That's like, loser's gold, so I guess I can see where you'd get confused.”

Suwako slowly sighed, massaging her temples.

“...Okuu said you smell like yellow snow.” She finally relented, clearly done with her interactions with the ice fairy.

“What?!” Cirno bristled, taking the bait. “Who does she think she is?!”

“Sweetie, please-”

“I dunno,” Suwako shrugged, cutting off the fairy with a lick of sense, “someone cooler than you, I guess!”

“She's not the coolest, I am!   _I'm_ the coolest! I'm the _coldest!_ I'm the **strongest!** ”

“Better go prove your strength, then!”  Suwako gave the blue-haired fairy a slap on the back.  “Go get ‘em, champ!”

“Yeah!”

“Cirno…!”

The curse god smirked as Cirno charged off, her friend chasing after in a fluster.

 

* * *

 

After encountering the heat from Old Hell, the ice fairy quickly lost interest in her quest for vengeance.  Daiyousei did her best to coax Cirno back to Gensokyo, keeping her friend’s mind occupied with things other than what the curse god had used to taunt them.

Although Cirno’s mood had improved, her attention span made it hard for even her closest of friends to corral her effectively.

“Hey, what's happening in the town?”  The ice fairy made a hard turn, tweaking her friend's arm.

“Cirno, _don't-_ ” Daiyousei started as she returned the favor.

“Ack!”

“- you _know_ how the humans get when they're building something.”

“Yeah… ‘urr! Stop freezing my produce!’”

“‘When I said I wanted some cold iron, this isn't what I meant!’”

“‘Stop trying to sneak into my class to start snowball fights with the children!’”

“I told you Miss Keine wouldn’t go for that.”  Daiyousei sighed as they drifted towards town.

“But kids _love_ snowball fights!”  Cirno roared. “What's wrong with her?!”

“Well, I mean…” the great fairy shrugged. “... humans are just weird like that.”

“They’re just du-urg…”  The two aspects of nature paused as they felt a familiar pull in the surrounding aether; Cirno turned to see Marisa’s hand clamping down on her shoulder, holding her in place with unnatural strength.

“What are you doing?”  The angry magician asked.  “Why are you here?”

“Ow, let go!”  The ice fairy tried to twist free, only to have the grip tighten.

“Not in the mood, Cirno-”

“You never are…!”

“-so just answer… my questions!  You. Here. Why.”

“We- we saw some activity, and we were curious!”  Dai quickly interjected, noticing the woman with gradient hair approaching, leaving the tiger woman struggling with a large beam.  “We got a little closer than we meant to, sorry!”

“ _Thank_ you, Dai.  Now…”

“Magister.”  Byakuren called; Marisa grit her teeth.

“Sorry Hijiri, just give me a sec-”

Tilting her head, the head priest stared at Marisa.  “What spell did you use for your self-enhancement? I’m unfamiliar with that school.”

“O-oh.”  She relaxed slightly, the tension instantly returning as Cirno tried to break free.  “Just- it’s something my Ma taught me, that’s all.”

“Interesting… do you think the two of you-”

“Hijiri…?”  Shou called, trying to keep balance; the head priest jumped with a start.

“Oh-!  Sorry, dear!”  Turning back towards the construction site, Hijiri quickly pattered back over, grabbing her end of the beam before it could fall or break.  Marisa let out a sigh, turning her attention back to the green-haired fairy.

“Look, you guys know I’m not that civil of a person, so please… just, go somewhere else while we’re working on this, okay?  Go- go play with your friends in the forest or something. Just stay out of town while people are antsy. _Please_.”

“Certainly, Marisa!”  Securing her friend from behind, Daiyousei dragged Cirno away as the magician let go.

“If you want that done quickly, you should let me help!”  The ice fairy called out. “‘Cause I’m the strongest…!”

 

“Why are we out here, Dai?”  Cirno asked as they passed through the trees; her friend gave her a warm smile.

“I figured we could maybe talk to Mystia, or play if she’s not running her food stall.”

“I thought she ran her cart in the Bamboo Forest.”

“No, she- she moved her location out to the Forest of Magic.”

Cirno let out a sigh, recognizing her friend’s tone.  “...how long ago?”

“About two… years…?”

“Gods _damn_ my attention span…”  The ice fairy muttered throwing a pine cone up into the canopy.  The great fairy gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, Cirno… you’re cute, so we’ll let it pass.”

She let out a snort at her friend’s non-attempt of consolation.

“Well, I suppose I _could_ go for an eel on a stick right about-”

Through a gap in the trees, a flash of gold passed by; the two stopped in their tracks.

“Did- did you see that?”  Daiyousei asked quietly; Cirno slowly nodded.

“...guess the cursed god wasn’t lying.  Come on!”

The two gave chase, flying around the trees and creatures of the forest as they caught more and more glimpses of the massive figure.  Finding their way into a clearing, the two spotted an enormous blonde woman, standing over twenty feet tall. In her hands were two large broadswords, held at the ready.

“Hah!”  Cirno exclaimed.  “I found the giant!”

“Oh… hello, you two.”  A familiar voice called out.  Pulling her eyes away from the face of the giant, Daiyousei spotted Alice, standing next to the unknown figure.  “How are you doing today?”

“I’m here to save Gensokyo from this monster!”  The ice fairy exclaimed. “It’s a quest from the gods!”

The puppeteer’s sapphire eyes moved towards the great fairy, seeking understanding; Daiyousei smiled patiently.

“Divinity Suwako asked her… well, to go on a wild goose chase, really…”  She shrugged.

“But how can it be a wild goose chase _if we found the giant, Dai?_ ”

“I…” Daiyousei sighed.  “Yeah, okay.”

“Well,” the puppeteer nodded, satisfied with the answer, “if you’re feeling feisty Cirno, Goliath Doll here could use some combat experience.”

“That- that’s a _doll?!_ ”  The great fairy exclaimed; the massive blonde doll turned her head, looking down at the two.

“It’s not problem for me!”

“Very well!”  Leaping up onto Goliath’s shoulder, Alice pointed down at Cirno as everyone could feel the spell card field expand outwards.  “Goliath! Ready for combat!”

Raising her swords, she readied her combat stance.  “Defensive matrices… active.”

 

* * *

 

“...and then I punched her straight through her chest, making the giant explode!”  Cirno finished, licking the plate clean. The puppeteer paused her doll show, frowning down at the ice fairy.

“...no you didn’t.”  She corrected. “You defeated Goliath, yes, but she didn’t-”

“Ba-BOOM!”

“...Marisa has been using strength enhancing spells?”  Mima asked, ignoring the fairy’s outburst. “Not potions?”

“I… believe I have seen her use them, yes.”  Alice confirmed, unsure of how to read the lich’s expression.  “Is something the matter?”

After a moment, Mima blinked, focusing on the puppeteer once more.  “No. No, nothing’s wrong. I just… I never taught her physical enhancement spells.  I think she’s learned to extrapolate from other things I’ve taught her… huh.” A rare, soft smile graced the spectre’s lips.  “...well done. When she gets home, I’ll- ah.”

The four of them turned as the door slid open, Marisa entered as she took off her hat.

“I’m home Ma, is Reimu ba-”  She paused as she looked at the ice fairy, her eyes narrowed.  “What’cha need, Cirno?”

“ _I_ was invited here!”  The ice fairy stated proudly, a smug smile on her face.  The lich finally redirected her attention back to her.

“Well now you’re uninvited.”  She stated flatly. “Scram.”

“Here,” placing a hand on Cirno’s shoulder, Alice placed a bag of cookies in the girl’s lap, “why don’t you go share these with Dai, for being such a good friend to you?”

“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea!  Thanks, Alice!” Running to the door, Cirno turned around.  “Bye everyone! Take care!”

The human magician watched the girl fly off before closing the door with a sigh.  Taking the pipe from Mima, she looked at her mother once more. “Reimu’s not back yet, I take it?”

The lich shook her head.  “No, but to be honest, I’m glad you arrived first… from what I’ve gathered about today, we may need your assistance when they return.”

“I thought it wasn’t anything bad.”  Marisa frowned, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

“No, it’s a routine fix,” Mima shook her head, “but I think Sanae’s day is… well, let’s just say there’s problems with being connected to a curse god…”

 

Sanae’s Story

 

Slowly opening her eyes, Sanae was greeted by a pounding headache in her darkened bedroom.  After her conversation with Alice, the wind charmer had been pulled away by Suwako to join her in a drinking contest with Suika, with the rest of the night being something of a blur.

Pushing herself up, she realized some of the pounding was originating outside of her head.

“Sanae…!”  The curse god called, still knocking on the door.  “Hey Sanae, you awake?”

“I’m… I’m awake, Lady Moriya.”  She winced at the sound of her own gravelly voice.

“Good!  Get dressed, we got a task for ya!”

As the footsteps faded from her doorway, Sanae hung her head, letting out a groan.  She had no idea what Suwako wanted, but her gut told her it was nothing good. Throwing back the covers, the wind charmer left her bed and began to prepare for the day.

 

“Ah, good morning!”  Kanako smiled at her wind charmer.  “How are… are you alright, dear?”

“I’ll be fine, Lady Yasaka.”  She nodded, rubbing her forehead.  “Lady Moriya mentioned a task?”

“It… can wait if you’re not-”

“Yes, a task!”  Suwako leaned into the kitchen, cutting off her divine counterpart.  “A giant has been spotted in Gensokyo! I need you… to find it!”

Between Kanako’s grimace and the overall lack of information given, it was clear to Sanae that her gut was onto something.  However, she knew better than to try and get a straight answer out of the curse god.

“...as you wish, Lady Moriya.”  She bowed. “Where was it last seen?”

“Uh… oh!  Old Hell!”  Suwako nodded, clearly pleased with herself.  “It was seen fleeing to Old Hell, by two trustworthy sources of information!”

“Alright… can you tell me-”

“Now go forth… and slay the enemy!”

Keeping her sigh to herself, the wind charmer turned and made for the door without another word.

“Sanae.”

She flinched as she reached for the door, unaware Kanako had followed her.  Looking up at the god of wind and rain, Kanako placed a hand on her cheek.

“Just… try to take it easy today, okay?”  The god whispered. “Don’t worry if nothing pans out.  Maybe… check and see if Reimu wants to play first; Suwako’s silly giant can wait a bit.”

Sanae nodded, closing her eyes as her patron’s power eased her headache.  “Thank you, Lady Yasaka.”

 

Arriving at the base of the mountain, Sanae spotted the shrine maiden and magician of the Hakurei Shrine standing out front, talking to a very tired Shizuha.  Hourai glanced up from Reimu’s shoulder, grabbing the attention of the other three. Much to her surprise and foreboding, even the magician seemed to perk up at her arrival.

“Good morning, Sanae!”  Reimu’s bright smile gave way to a look of concern.  “Is everything alright?”

“It’s-” She sighed, shaking her head.  “Bad morning, nothing important. What’s going on?”

“If you’re not busy, I could use your help.”  Marisa nodded. “Reimu’s supposed to _assist_ with the construction of Hijiri’s Temple thing today, but…”

“We were just contacted by Lady Satoaaah…”  Shizuha yawned, shaking her head.  “By Lady Satori; they’ve found what sounds like the start of a tear in the barrier in Old Hell.”

“Right, Reimu fixes that stuff.”  The wind charmer scratched the back of her head.  “I always forget your mysticism is more than just academic…”

Marisa opened her mouth before pausing; Sanae covered her face as she let out a sigh.

“I’m… sorry, I have no filter today.”

“It’s alright, Sanae.”  Reimu gave her a pat on the arm.  “But yes, I assist the Yakumo Clan with such things.  However, given that it’s Old Hell, neither Lady Yakumo nor her subordinates will travel down there unless absolutely necessary.”

“Well, isn’t Old Hell separate from Gensokyo?”  Sanae asked, thankful to move the conversation along.  “Is that even our jurisdiction?”

“Planar barriers and tears are…”  The wind charmer recognized the shrine maiden’s look; it was one the girl wore when she tried to determine how much to say about a subject she knew Sanae had no interest in.  “Well, barriers always share at least two areas by nature. Given the location, it’s highly likely that, if the tear grew, it would breech on Gensokyo’s side. The problem is, the tear on this end might end up underground, or somewhere else hard to reach.”

“Also, as far as jurisdiction…” Marisa shrugged.  “Well, they invited us, and it _could_ be our fault given the location as well, what with the fusion reactor being used a lot more and all.”

“Okay, so…”

“Would you be able to escort my sister to the tear, and protect her until she can fix it?  I imagine the travel time will be longer than the time it takes for Reimu to do her thing”

“I- I guess…”  Sanae murmured, her thoughts on what her gods had asked of her.

“If you’re busy-” the shrine maiden started.

“No, it’s fine.”  She glanced at her friend.  “Did… you hear anything about a giant in Gensokyo, either last night or this morning?”

“Mm…” the shrine maiden thought for a moment, “Meiling had a dream about a giant _catfish_ , but that was it.”

The wind charmer rubbed her forehead.  “And… Satori didn’t say anything about such a thing, either?”

“No… I believe the tear was the only thing she mentioned being out of the ordinary down there, and I don’t recall her or Miss Yuugi mentioning any giants living there, either.”  She tilted her head. “Is a friend of yours missing?”

“No, no…” The green-haired god sighed, her jaw set.  “...it’s nothing. Are you ready to go now?”

“Y-yes!  And thank you again, Sanae!”  Giving her sister and her god a hug, Reimu waved to her family.  “Take care! If we finish early, I’ll come and assist you, okay?”

“You won’t,” Marisa grinned, “but I appreciate it.”

“Either way, we’ll have some food ready for your return.”  Shizuha glanced the wind charmer’s way, smiling. “You’re welcome to join us, too.”

“Thank you, divinity.  At any rate, we shall be off.”

 

* * *

 

“Wait, what did you call this?”  Sanae asked as they flew down the massive hole leading to Old Hell.

“Oh, ‘The Yawn’.”  The shrine maiden repeated; the wind charmer’s brow furrowed.

“I thought it was called ‘The Fantastic Blowhole’.”

“It… was.”  Reimu conceded.

“But Patchouli kept smirking and snickering whenever we’d talk about it.”  Hourai chimed in, earning a sigh from the wind charmer.

“So, what should I be expecting on this trip?”  She asked, deciding to change the subject. She could feel the shrine maiden’s hand slip into hers.

“Sometimes tears and rips can attract things, or cause things living nearby to become violent.”  The tiny girl explained. “Things can also come through, but it sounds like this is more of a ‘chip’ out of the barrier instead of a hole; it’s near the Core, so there’s nothing living there, fortunately.”

“But we can never be 100% certain.”  Hourai added. “While it’s exceedingly rare, tears _can_ get bigger without warning, so we always go with extra people, just in case.  Sometimes the weirdness can cause things like fairies to be born. Not only that, but we also don’t know what the effect of nuclear and hell energies will have on the area.”

“The best trips tend to be boring for the guardians.”  Reimu squeezed her hand and smiled. “Thank you again for the help.”

“Eh,” Sanae shrugged, “Divinity Moriya asked me to come down this way anyway, ‘cept now I’m actually accomplishing something.”

“Is everything alright?”  Reimu flew closer. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“N-no, it’s…”  Sanae could feel her face heat up; despite having known her friend for well over a year, the shrine maiden’s genuine concern had a tendency to catch her off-guard.  “It’s not important, we can talk about it later.”

While it was not unusual for Suwako to give Sanae’s chain a pull every now and then, her pranks generally did not involve hours of travel for no real reason.  The wind charmer knew it probably meant something else unknown to her was likely happening, but her darkening mood told her it was likely her divinity's practical jokes were simply growing in size.

Reaching the capital, the two slowed their speed to keep from surprising the resident oni and youkai as they flew by.  The wind charmer cast a sidelong glance at her friend as she waved to various people who waved back in recognition; she had to give the girl credit for the sheer number of people she could remember if nothing else.

Catching the eye of the oni's leader, Reimu and Sanae landed as she motioned to the group.

“Hail, and well met, Miss Yuugi!”  The shrine maiden bowed before smiling up at the massive blonde oni.

“Hey, Reimu!”  Yuugi grinned, giving her a heavy pat on the head.  “What kind of trouble are you causin’ down here today?”

“Oh, we're not causing trouble!”

“You aren’t?!  Then why the hell would ya come here?!”

As her friend took over diplomatic duties, Sanae took stock of the surrounding citizens of the capital.  She could see both the oni and the youkai gave them more than just cursory glances, reading their leader's body language about the meeting.

The wind charmer’s mind returned to the festering discontent about the inane task given to her in the morning.  She loved both of her gods dearly, but she could not deny that Suwako had a nasty habit of pushing people's buttons when bored.

“Still though,” Yuugi's voice brought the wind charmer back to the present as the oni's ham hand landed on her head, ruffling her hair.  “Don't know how much protection you'll get from someone so skinny, though!”

“Oh, don't worry, Miss-”

“ _Don't_ touch me.”  Sanae knocked the hand away, glaring up at the oni.

Yuugi’s eyebrows went up, her lips splitting into a wide grin. She slowly brought her hand back towards the wind charmer’s head once more, watching the living god's reaction.  In a flash, Sanae cocked her fist and struck, pushing the oni back a step.

“And _don’t_ question my ability to fight.”

A silence spread across the street, all activity coming to a halt.  Yuugi continued to stare down at her, her smile moving from amusement to appraising.

“...you’re pretty strong.”  The oni commented; the hairs on the back of the wind charmer’s neck stood on end at the subtle edge in Yuugi’s voice.

“She is indeed strong!”  Reimu interjected; Sanae could feel a panicked grip on her hand, causing her rage to sputter out.  “However, I’m afraid we’re dealing with a matter of great import; she’s going to have to give you a raincheck on your match, Miss Hoshiguma.  If you’ll excuse us!”

While easily capable of stopping the tiny shrine maiden, the strange edge of urgency in Reimu’s voice compelled Sanae to follow along.  Yuugi simply watched with a smile as they left at a forced march, rounding the nearest corner.

As they dodged through the thinning streets, Sanae’s immediate anger dissipated; she could feel her face heat up at the realization of her actions.  Opening her mouth to apologize for her interference, she was stopped as the doll held up a hand, peering around to make sure they were alone. The words on her lips disappeared as she saw the look of genuine fear on Reimu’s face.

“Are- are you?”  The wind charmer fumbled.

“Sanae.”  She whispered.  “You just tried to challenge an _oni to combat in their capital_.”

The wind charmer slowly winced as the weight of her friend’s words sunk in.

“Miss Yuugi is their _Boss_.  If she answered the call, the others would have _had_ to join in.  You are strong, Sanae.  I know you can overcome Miss Yuugi in a spell card battle.  But not in a bare knuckle brawl.” She began to shake her head.  “Not when the others joined in to save their Boss.”

Reimu wrapped her hands over Sanae’s and stood on her tiptoes, bringing herself as close as she could to the wind charmer.

“Are you okay, Sanae?  If you need to talk about something, I will listen.”

“I-” She sighed, her face flush with embarrassment.  “I'm sorry, Reimu. It's- I'll pay more attention, I promise.”

“Sanae.”  Reimu continued to stare, keeping a hold of her hands.  “I'm not going to judge you on your problems. Please…”

The wind charmer sighed, finding it difficult to remain silent under the gaze of her small friend. “I've…  been having issues with Divinity Moriya's orders as of late. I know it's stupid, and I'm sorry for endangering us like that-”

“Hey.”  The doll on the shrine maiden's shoulder reached out to her.  “The connection between a god and a follower is very important, especially when you're attuned to them.  If you're at odds with her-”

Hourai suddenly stopped as she glared to the side; the other two turned their heads to see a lingering passerby, quickly moving along as they were spotted by the three.  Letting out a huff, the doll turned back to their guardian.

“Alright, I’ll admit this isn't the best spot to talk, but I want you to listen to me, okay?”

The wind charmer nodded; Hourai leaned close, her expression serious.

“There’s a difference between keeping your emotions in check and burying them.  If you have issues with Divinity Suwako, then you _need_ to talk to her about it when we get back, alright?”  Her expression relaxing, the doll learned back. “But you don’t have to do that alone.  When we're back in Gensokyo, we’ll help you decompress, and tell you how to go about it, alright?”

Feeling a lump in her throat, Sanae nodded. Both Reimu and Hourai smiled up at her.

“Thank you for telling us, Sanae.”  Letting go of her hands, the shrine maiden pulled herself close to the wind charmer.  “I know it's difficult to talk about things like that, but I promise you we will help you.”

“I…  thank you.”

Taking a few moments to compose themselves, the three made their way back to the main roads.  The living god could see they were not far from the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

While the palace was not their ultimate destination, she knew Reimu wished to check in before starting their task.  The professional aspect was certainly part of it, but the fact that the tiny diplomat got along well with the mind reader had not been lost on anyone who paid any sort of attention to her.

Landing outside of the large building, Reimu reached up and tapped the knocker against the door.

“Miss Hakurei, Magister Hourai, welcome.”  The mind reader greeted as she opened the door.  Glancing at Sanae, Satori opened her mouth before looking at the shrine maiden once again.  “Divinity.” She gave a single nod before redirecting her attention once again. “I appreciate your quick response to this.  The oddity doesn't seem to be doing much, but it's making Okuu rather agitated. Orin doesn't like going near it as well.”

Holding her chin, the shrine maiden nodded.

“Hm; at any rate, I'll leave you to it.  I believe you know your way to the Core, Okuu can show you the exact location from there.  Ah, and don't worry, Divinity…” The mind reader gave Sanae her attention once more. “The Core has been sanitized; you won't need to worry about radiation this time around.”

 

“How do you do that?”

Reimu glanced at the wind charmer, tilting her head in an inquisitive manner.

“You know, talking to Satori without saying anything.”

“Oh!” She smiled, her face flush.  “Practice, mostly. With things like this, I focus on the task at hand.  She can only read our surface thoughts, and… I don't like to lie, so it's not too hard for me.”  She went quiet for a moment, her blush turning crimson. “She says I remind her of Auntie, sometimes…”

“Uh…”

“ _Before_ she became a lich.”  Hourai clarified.

“ _Ah_.”  Sanae cleared her throat.  “So… what did you tell her when we opened the door?”

“I um… I told her you were here to help us with taking care of the border, so to um…”

“...’play nice, please’?”  She finished; Reimu nodded.

“I… I know there's still friction between your clan and her family, but…”

“Nah, I appreciate it.”  The wind charmer smiled as Reimu gave her hand a squeeze.

Approaching the passageway to the core, Hourai muttered a spell; Sanae could feel the oppressive heat dissipate as the tingle of the arcane washed over her.

It was not long before the rough stone walls gave way to shiny corridors covered in sensors and machinery.  Walking along the metal grating, the pathway deposited the group into a clearing reaching higher than the eye could see.  All along the hexagonal room were energy collectors and openings. Higher up they could see catwalks leading to other areas of the core.

“Yes- _yes_ , I'm _aware_ of the foreign material, shut _up_ about it-”

Utsuho landed in front of them with a slam, slowly standing upright as she looked down at the humans.

“Oh, it's you, Reimu.  And the other one…” the hell raven wiggled her fingers as she thought.  “Hourai, right.” She looked at Sanae for a moment before turning back. “Where's your sister?”

“I'm afraid Magister Marisa had to fill in for me at the Human Village today, Divinity Reiuji.  But we were lucky enough to encounter Divinity Kochiya, so we're able to help with the barrier breach right now instead of later.”

“Why are you…?”  The bronze giant sighed.  “Right, official business and shit.  Well whatever; here,” motioning for them to follow, Utsuho lead them high into the core towards the crack in the barrier.

“Hm…” Reimu closed her eyes as she felt her surroundings.  Drifting closer, she nodded to herself. “...this shouldn't take long.  Hourai?”

“Just a sec.” The doll exhaled as she readied herself.

“We can take it from here,” the living god informed the hell raven.  “You can go back to work.”

“Pfft.” She rolled her eyes.  “I don't feel like it.”

The wind charmer felt her blood boil.

“Oh, what’s the matter,” She crossed her arms, “you not feeling well?”

The hell raven slowly turned towards her, staring intently.  “As a matter of fact, I happen to have a really bad cough, thanks for asking.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, a _fuckoff._ ”

Reimu slowly covered her face.

“If it was the worst cough ever,” Hourai chimed in, “would that make it the mother fuckoff?”

“It would!” Utsuho nodded, pointing at the doll.

“Um…”  The shrine maiden glanced back nervously; the doll covered her face, suppressing a snicker.

“S- sorry, Reimu; clearing my mind.”

Standing in silence once more, the two continued to watch their friends prepare for their task.  Every once and awhile, Sanae could catch the glimmer of something odd just in front of the shrine maiden.

“...Satori said the tear has been bothering you?” The wind charmer tried again.  Utsuho looked down at her.

“What of it?”

The green haired girl shrugged.  “I wasn't trying to sass you, they just told me these types of things can take a bit. That's why I was saying you might want to get back to work.”

The hell raven went back to watching Reimu as she began the task at hand.  “My ‘work' involves fusing atoms in this chamber.”

“...ah.”

“It gets a little hot for most people.”

The two fell quiet.

“A break might not be a bad idea.” Sanae admitted.

“Heh!” Utsuho gave a lopsided grin.

 

* * *

 

“Alright… I believe we're done, Divinity…  er, Divinities.” Reimu bowed. “Thank you both for the protection as we worked.”

“No problem; gotta say, it feels a lot better now.”  Utsuho nodded, visibly calmer. “Are you going to report back to Master Satori now?”

The shrine maiden smiled, accepting the pick-up and shoulder ride.  “Yes, we'll let Lady Komeiji know our task is complete,and then-”

The hell raven suddenly turned, looking down towards the entrance.

“What the- oh, Hell's Bells…”

“Sanae…!”  The curse god called out, quickly approaching.  “What are you still…”

“Good afternoon, Divinity Moriya.”  Reimu bowed from atop the hell raven.  “We've finished our work here.”

“What are you…?” The blonde god looked at Utsuho and sighed.  “Gods dammit, you ran into Cirno and Daiyousei on your way down here, didn't you?  I didn’t think their attention span would last that long…”

The wind charmer shook her head.  “No, I didn’t even see… wait.”

Flashes to the morning with her gods went through her mind; Sanae could feel her eye twitch as the pieces fell into place.

“The fairies were your ‘trustworthy sources of information’, weren’t they.”  She stated flatly.

“Well, I mean- maybe.”  The curse god gave a nonchalant shrug.  “More importantly, why are you still here?  You should have been home ages ago!”

“Why?”  Sanae pressed, “What's going on?”

“Well…” She slowly smiled. “It's a secret.”

The wind charmer could feel the rush of adrenaline flood her body as her anger return in full force.

“Divinity Moriya-”

The curse god held a finger up.  “Tell ya what!” She started, cutting off Sanae.  “I've been wondering how your fighting skill had been doing since coming here-”

“Divinity Kochiya was instrumental in our last incident resolution, Div-”

Suwako carried on, ignoring Reimu’s attempt for peace. “- so how about a spell card battle?  If you win, I'll tell you what you want to know. If not, then you'll just have to wait.”

Staring down at the primary god of her shrine, Sanae began to shake.

“...Okuu.” The wind charmer's eyes narrowed.  “Please escort Miss Reimu and Miss Hourai to Chireiden.  I will along shortly.”

“P- please be careful!”  Reimu called out as Utsuho flapped her wings.

“Yeah, don't break shit!”  The hell raven warned as she took off.  “‘Self-repairing’ and ‘fast’ are _not_ synonymous terms!”

Watching the others leave, Suwako smiled.  “I gotta admit Sanae, I've been looking forward to seeing what sort of progress you’ve made since-”

The curse god felt the spell card field emanate outward; she turned around just in time to see Sanae's fist before impact.

 

Laying on the grating, Sanae stared up at the seemingly infinite heights of the core.  Close to her head was Suwako, flat on her back and panting heavily from their fight.

“I’m sorry, Sanae…”  She finally mumbled. The wind charmer simply blinked, continuing to stare at nothing.  Recognizing the tone her patron always used when caught in the act, the living god could picture Suwako’s accompanying smirk with perfect clarity.  The god’s empty words brought Sanae’s cooling anger back to a boil; her eye twitched.

“Why?”  The living god asked, speaking her mind.  “You got what you wanted. What else could matter to you?”

“Aw, don’t be like that…!”

The muscles in her neck strained as she grit her teeth.  Feeling a thread of concern come from Divinity Yasaka’s connection, Sanae instantly clamped down on her emotions.  Her breathing evened out as she shoved her rage back into the pit of her stomach, letting her training beat her emotions back into submission.  Pushing herself up, the wind charmer jumped off the edge of the catwalk and left the core.

 

Unsure of what was bothering Sanae, Suwako scrambled to keep up with her priest.  The girl had said nothing since leaving the Core after her victory, her face devoid of emotion.  It was strange to see her wind charmer in such a state; she had seen such things in Kanako plenty of times, but never Sanae.

On some level, Suwako knew she should have put more effort in her plan to keep the wind charmer occupied, but the fact that the girl would obey no matter the order had caused the curse god to get complacent.  Had she been more careful, Suwako knew she would have been able to deflect the anger at the deception elsewhere. But what was done was done; she would simply have to keep such things in mind for the future.

Finally catching up after entering the palace, she came to a halt as Reimu and Satori approached.  Looking up at her friend, the shrine maiden slowly covered her mouth in horror, seeing something the god had missed.

“I- I'm ready.” She whispered timidly, her eyes glossy.  Sanae said nothing, simply giving the Lady of Chireiden a nod before turning and marching out.

Watching the wind charmer and shrine maiden leave, Satori looked down at Suwako and arched an eyebrow.

“... _you_ fucked up.”

 

The capital of Old Hell was a blur as Sanae left the palace.  She fought to keep her emotions in check, her anger still struggling to burst free once more.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, the living god knew she should not be moving so fast, but the reasons were beyond her immediate memories; too far away for her to take the time to consider.

“Sanae…!”

Her rage received a surge of strength from Suwako’s voice; she grit her teeth, staying on course.

“Sanae…!”  The curse god called after her priest once more.  “Sanae! Hey, sl-”

The wind charmer came to an immediate halt, whipping around.  “ _What_ … is it, Divinity Moriya?”

Nearly slamming into Sanae, Suwako moved away in surprise.  “Y-you’re leaving Reimu behind.” She responded, her voice quiet.  Surprise and fear suckerpunched the wind charmer’s fury, bringing it down for good as she turned to the shrine maiden.

“O-oh.”  The fire gone from her voice, she flew back to her friend and held out a hand; it was plain to see Reimu had exhausted herself from trying to keep up.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Miss- Miss Sanae…”  Reimu gasped as she took her hand.

“No, it’s-” Sanae let out a sigh as she lifted the shrine maiden into her arms, holding her close; Hourai moved to Sanae’s shoulder, watching something off in the distance.   “-it’s not your fault. Come on, I’ll get the two of you home safe.”

Picking up speed once more, the wind charmer turned her attention to their surroundings.  Feeling for dangers, she became aware of the various animalistic youkai attracted by her bloodlust; there was little doubt in her mind they had eyeing her friend as a tasty meal.  She held the shrine maiden tighter.

“...I’m sorry.”  She whispered, blinking back her tears.

Deep in her mind, the living god could hear Reimu’s silent prayer, calling her name.

 

* * *

 

The return trip was uncomfortably quiet.  Suwako kept her distance as they flew towards the Hakurei Shrine, uncertain of the wind charmer’s mood.  While she had certainly seen Sanae angry in the past, it had never been with such ferocity.

Nor had it been ever been directed at the curse god herself.

On some level, Suwako knew she was perhaps partially to blame for the wind charmer’s dark mood.  Having her try to keep up with Suika the night before was admittedly ill advised on the curse god’s part; deliberately sending the girl out to find a non-existent problem while hungover was also, just maybe, a little mean-spirited.

However, whether or not it was partially, or maybe entirely, Suwako’s fault for Sanae’s mood, the curse god knew she would have a talk with the girl about her attitude. It was something which could wait until they were back at their own shrine though, as Kanako’s presence would likely calm her to a degree, assuming her divine counterpart did not simply decide to stir up more trouble.  It was always hard to tell with Kanako.

Landing next to the torii, Suwako spotted Marisa quietly approach as Sanae let Reimu down.  Surrounded by her standard array of arcane magics, the magician seemed to be watching something in the distance, only giving her friends and family a belated nod as they walked past.

In a flash, Marisa’s hand came down on the curse god’s shoulder, bringing her to a dead halt.

“Wha- hey!”  Suwako glared at Marisa as she was held in place.  The shrine’s resident magician continued to stare forward, the day’s tension showing on her face.  “What do you think-”

“I don’t like fighting you, Suwako.”  Marisa interrupted, keeping her voice low; the others continued to walk without pause.  “Too much is left up to chance whenever we go toe to toe. If you push this towards violence, I _will_ respond in kind.  However, whether or not you’d win this one…”  Looking down at the curse god, Marisa jerked her thumb towards the mountain.  “...I think it’s safe to say you’re going to need your strength for back home.”

Near the summit, Suwako could see dark storm clouds swirling over where she knew the shrine to be.  The magician let go as the god stopped pressing forward; her shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh.

Glancing towards the branch shrine, she could see Kanako’s aura surrounding it, effectively locking the gate.  Grumbling to herself, Suwako began to float towards home. Marisa watched, keeping an eye on the god until she was out of sight.

 

* * *

 

“Was that the spell you used when you ran into Cirno?”

Taking a bite of her burger, Sanae’s eyes moved towards Marisa, unsure of Mima’s question.  She had expected to be debriefed on their mission upon entering the shrine; instead they had been instructed to clean up for a late lunch, as if they had returned from a shopping trip.

“Oh, uh yeah.”  The magician nodded, wiping her mouth.  “Did- did Cirno tell you about that?”

“I pulled from her memories while Alice was telling the tale.  But why-”

Marisa returned to her meal, shaking her head.  “Didn't think that snow-brain would've said something like that…”

“Oi.”  The lich snapped her fingers, trying to bring the conversation on track.  “Why did you tell the monk I taught you that?”

“Didn't think it should be that big of a deal; she already saw my magic when fighting, so-”

Though concerned about a reprimand coming her way, Sanae could not help but grin at Mima's sigh of frustration.

“Sweetie, I’m not talking about any sort of secrets you gave away!  I never taught you how to do that.”

“Hm?” Marisa arched an eyebrow, taking another bite.  “Wha’ a’ ‘ou ‘al-”

The shrine maiden leaned towards her sister.  “Chew, Marisa.”

“I taught you a spell for mental fortitude, but-” the lich gave her daughter a dark look. “- _don’t_ give me that ‘yeah, there you go!’ look!  Those aren’t the same thing at all!”

The wind charmer continued to quietly observe as the two magicians began to argue semantics on spell casting, keeping track of their tones and body language over the incomprehensible conversation.

She had a hard time getting a read on Mima.  Even after knowing the lich for over a year, she was still uncertain of what to make her.  More often than not, Sanae saw her as the caring, albeit cranky, mentor and guardian of Reimu.  Other times, she was the Wise Advisor of Gensokyo, serving alongside Kanako, Yukari, and Keine in guiding the nation’s development.  However, after watching her fight Kasen last year, and Yuugi a few months prior, the living god could not deny the spectre’s brutality and ruthlessness.

The mass graves were another chilling note of Mima’s past as well.  The first one she had seen with the others had left her with a detached sense of unease.  A few months later, they found another; seeing so many skeletons a second time finally drove the point home for her.

The third they found in the fall had dwarfed the other two in size.

Shortly after, Sanae asked Reimu how she handled knowing such things.  The shrine maiden had given her an odd look, almost as if biting her tongue.  Eventually, she told the wind charmer she had no control over her aunt’s past, but she was capable of assisting in her atonement.

“Dear…!”  Mima slapped her forehead in exasperation.  “Are you even listening to what you’re saying?  You took one spell, and literally changed every single aspect of it!  That’s called ‘a different spell’! One that you made!”

“I mean-”  Marisa sighed.  “It just-”

“Gods _damn_ it Marisa, stop being difficult and just let me be proud of you!”

Giving her sister a pat on the shoulder, Reimu collected the dishes before heading to the kitchen.  Sanae could feel a cold wave of anxiety wash over her back as the lich turned her attention to the living god.

“At any rate… my daughter’s stubbornness aside, thank you for your help, Divinity Kochiya.”  Mima gave her a nod as she pulled her bag of herbs out of her sleeve. “The Hakurei Shrine owes you a debt today.”

“I ah…” Sanae cleared her throat.  Despite her growing fear, she had learned not to lie to the lich, especially anywhere near the shrine grounds.  “I… I actually put Reimu and Hourai in- in a lot of danger today, I’m afraid. I'm sorry.”

“Mm.” The lich continued to load her pipe, bobbing her head.  “Perhaps, perhaps… but everything turned out alright. Besides,” she passed the pipe to the wind charmer, “I'd say most of the trouble was instigated by Suwako.”

“W-well.”  She grimaced as she held the pipe, duty preventing her from immediately speaking her mind.  Before she could comment, Mima waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it; we’re not trying to convert you or anything.”  She grinned. “Just letting you know we know what happened.

“N-no, I didn’t think you were try to-!”  Her cheeks flushed, Sanae turned her attention to the pipe before she could run her mouth any further.  As she took her hit, Reimu returned, frowning at her aunt.

“Auntie, don’t tease her;”  the shrine maiden sat down as she scolded Mima, “she’s had a very long day, and it’s not even over yet.”

Sanae let out a groan as her face sunk into her hands.  “Fuck, I knew it - she’s going to chew me out now.”

“N-no!  I meant when you report back h-”

Mima and Marisa cackled over Reimu’s flustered explanation as Alice entered; Shanghai and Hourai followed behind, carrying a tea set.  Taking the pipe from her niece, the lich sat upright and grinned in amusement.

“Did you _really_ think I was going to reprimand you?”

“Well,”  the wind charmer shrugged, “I mean, generally when someone fucks up, they get punished for it!”

Accepting the teacup from Shanghai, Mima’s calm demeanor returned.  She pushed the tray towards the living god.

“Tell me, Sanae:  what is the purpose of punishment?”

“What?”

“What is the end result one is supposed to achieve with punishment?  Why is it used?”

Her mind already foggy, the wind charmer scratched her brow as she thought.  “To uh… to keep people from doing the wrong thing.”

“Right; to correct one’s behavior.”  The lich took a sip of her tea. “Your behavior doesn’t need to be corrected, so there’s no reason to punish you.”

“Well, I just-”

“When I look in your eyes,” Mima interrupted, “I can clearly see you already realize your mistakes, and how much they bother you.  You’ve already provided all the punishment you need.” A small smile formed on Mima’s lips as she added sugar to her drink. “As far as _Suwako’s_ punishment, I contacted Kanako before you arrived, and let her know what the curse god did.”

“Ah…”Breaking eye contact, Sanae looked at the table as Reimu leaned against her.  “I ah… thank you.”

“Not a problem.  You’re very dear to my niece, and my daughter seems to enjoy your company, so I figured you’ve earned assistance on that front.  As Reimu was trying to say earlier, Kanako is still going to want to hear it from you, but now she’ll know to sit down and listen to you, instead of defaulting to Suwako on what happened.  Just be sure to look her in the eyes when you tell her…”

The wind charmer glanced back up at the lich.

“...she needs to see the pain that was inflicted upon you today.  It’s not good to bottle things up.”

“Reimu and Hourai told me the same thing.”

“We all say it here, but… it’s something easier said than done, of course.”  Marisa chimed in, smiling sympathetically. “I struggle with it a lot myself; Reimu, Ma, Hourai, and Alice are always yellin’ at me about that,too.”  The magician nodded to herself, holding the pipe. “It helps.”

“Mm.”  Sanae looked over those at the table before sipping her tea.  “...you guys don’t really… fight with one another, do you?”

There was a loud snort from the lich.

“What?”

Grinning broadly, Mima shook her head as she reloaded the pipe.

“How about I tell you… about the first time Reimu, Marisa, and I solved an incident.”

 

* * *

 

Landing at the grounds of her own shrine, the curse god looked up at the building.  Fierce winds raged all around as rain and hail soon joined in. On top of the shrine, Suwako spotted the silhouette of her divine counterpart, standing with a menacing aura.

“ ** _SUWAKO…!_ **”  Kanako’s voice howled through the gale.  The curse god grit her teeth as she threw her hands down, summoning her iron rings.

“Let’s get this over with!”  She tried to shout through the storm as she picked up speed, charging towards the shrine.  “If you got somethin’ to say, then say it!”

Leaping from the rooftop, the god of wind and rain slammed into the ground, sending out a shockwave through the walkway.  Flying towards Suwako, Kanako cocked her fist. “ ** _YOU IDIOT…!_ **”

 

* * *

 

“And then… Reimu…”  Mima grinned, clearly addled; since the start of the tale, the pipe and bottles of alcohol were passed around as Alice acted everything out with her dolls.  While Mima’s lowered guard was certainly surprising, Sanae found herself captivated by Alice’s skill. “...Reimu just _screams_ in absolute terror… and Marisa and I turn around, and look at her like ‘what’s the problem?’”

The shrine maiden next to her shook her head and sighed.  The purple-haired shrine maiden doll knocked her knuckles together nervously; a habit she had seen in Reimu many times before.

“And she says ‘that’s a person!  You can’t just- just _hurt them_ because you want to!  That’s really mean!’ And, I mean…”

“She’s not exactly _wrong_ …” Hourai rolled her eyes.

“But sadly, not exactly _right_ , either…”  Marisa glanced away, an embarrassed grin on her face.  “‘Cause we totally did…!”

“Yeah.”  Mima nodded, motioning towards her daughter.  “So while she’s trying to explain to her sister that we _probably_ weren’t going to kill them, I’m just staring at this girl thinking ‘who the hell does this kid think she is, crying about someone she doesn’t even know?’-”

The wind charmer covered her face, laughing in disbelief at what she just heard.

“-when a little voice in the back of my head goes ‘it’s called having _empathy_ , jackass.’  And I go ‘oooh yeah…’”

“Yasaka’s love, Mima…!”

“So I finally just go ‘fuck it, she thinks she can change the Doc’s mind with just words? Let her have a go; we’ll finish it up afterwards’.”

“In the professor’s defense, you _did_ break the rules with the three of you going in there…”  Hourai commented. “Not saying I disapprove, mind…”

“Yeah, like I was going to allow my daughter to just waltz in unattended!”  Shaking her head, she turned back to Sanae. “So anyway, Reimu talks to Professor Okazaki and her assistant.   I’m watching her… and I realize ‘she’s actually pretty good at this, especially without any training.’ And- yeah, I’m sure Marisa and I looming behind her added a bit of weight to her words…”

“I’d believe it.”  Sanae nodded.

“...but they still agreed to stand down and gave each of them a boon.”

“...oh, right; you mentioned that’s how Ruukoto and the- the- the nuke…”  The wind charmer’s voice trailed off as she remembered her close proximity to the warhead.

“Lil’ Mimi, yeah.”  Mima took a sip of her tea.  “Anyway, after that, we talked about incident resolution, and Reimu made it quite clear that she didn’t believe that just _beating_ people into submission was the right thing to do!”

“That- that’s shocking.”  The wind charmer grinned in feigned surprise.

“I know, right?  At any rate, I told her there would be times people wouldn’t- or perhaps couldn’t- listen, and she’d need a back-up plan for those times.  So we came to a compromise that you’ve seen in action.”

“Yeah.”

“After that, I started training Reimu how to read and talk to people, and she gave us room and board… and extended our family.”  The lich glanced at her niece, smiling fondly. “There’s still times when we disagree on things… and sometimes we disagree very strongly.”  She looked back at Sanae and shrugged. “That’s just life. But when that happens, we talk to one another. We let each other know when things bother us.  And we work out a solution.”

The wind charmer nodded, thinking about her words.

“It… I mean, it makes sense, what you’re saying.  It was just… really different Outside. Letting things out was seen as a weakness by a lot.  You always had to have your guard up. It’s… it’s a hard habit to break.”

“Keep in mind we’re not denying that there’s going to be times where you _will_ need to keep your feelings in check.”  Alice added, returning her dolls to her bag.  “It’s especially important for your line of work; that’s why you know how to do it.  But that doesn’t mean keeping them hidden away forever… when those times pass, you need to decompress.  Friends and family will help with that - they’ll help you through hard times and situations, just like you’ll help them.”

“And remember:”  the spectre pointed at her, “you are a _servant_ of the gods, not their slave.  Not only that, but you are a god yourself.  Your needs for belief are on par with theirs, and respect is part of that.  Set your boundaries with them; they’ll respect them once you do.”

Her last bit of advice given, Mima got up and stretched, the others following suit.

“At any rate… I can tell the storm at your shrine has finally passed, and I can see you’re tired.  I’d offer you to stay the night, but…”

The wind charmer shook her head.  “I… I should get back. But thank you.”  Sanae gave her friends a warm smile. “For the offer… and for all the help today.”

 

* * *

 

Rain splashed against Suwako’s face as the world came into focus once more.  She could see Kanako glaring down at her, muscles glistening in the storm.

It had been some time since she had seen her partner in her war god form; ever since settling her differences with the tengu and kappa, Kanako had done her best to focus her powers over the weather instead of warfare.  Unable to hear the blue-haired god through her tinnitus, Suwako slowly grinned as her eyes roamed over her adversary’s body.

Kanako’s eyes flashed with rage as she slammed a pillar down inches from Suwako’s face, catching the curse god’s hair as she tried to flinch away a moment too late.  The war god’s pupils turned to slits as she leaned close, barking an order.

“Can’t- can’t hear you.”  Suwako finally mumbled, her own voice barely registering.  “Ringin’ in my ears.”

Energy surged through her body as Kanako grabbed her collar, lifting her and the pillar up at once.  The ringing began to fade, bringing the dangerous sound of Kanako’s rattling growl.

Sanae’s face flashed through the curse god’s mind as she stared at Kanako, wearing the same, hateful glare.

“Heavens and Hells…” Suwako groaned, realization finally settling in.  “I fucked up.”

“Yeah.”  Kanako seethed.  “You did.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was a quiet flight home, on the back of Marisa’s broom.  As the sun finished its journey across the sky, stars began to shine, giving them plenty of light for their trip.

In the light of the surrounding lanterns, Sanae could see puddles in the various new dents in the shrine grounds as she hopped off the broom.  Waving goodbye to her friend, she turned her attention to the shrine; Kanako stood as she approached, walking down the steps to greet her.

“Welcome home, Sanae.”  She whispered, embracing her wind charmer.  It was surprising to Sanae to see her god dressed in furs once more, giving her a powerful, primal appearance.  “I would like to speak with you, but I know you’ve had a long day. If you would like to sleep first…”

“Mm.”  Sanae nodded.  “I… I think it would be for the best, if nothing is pressing.”

“That’s fine.”  Keeping a hand on her back, Kanako guided her charge inside.  “Go get ready for bed, and I’ll bring you some water, so you don’t wake up like this morning.”

 

* * *

 

“...”

“...!”

Voices outside the shrine caused the wind charmer to stir from her slumber.  Sitting up in her bed, she looked at her clock to see it was a couple hours before noon.  Letting out a yawn, Sanae threw back her covers to start her day.

With her mind and body free of intoxicants and inhibitors, she found thoughts returning to the previous day as she made herself a quick breakfast with the blender.  Dread and anxiety churned within as she downed her protein shake, not helping the faux-chocolate taste in the slightest. While the words of Mima and the others had made perfect sense when her wounds were still fresh, the passage of time made her wonder if perhaps she had crossed the line instead.

As the wind charmer rummaged through the refrigerator for something to cleanse her palate, Kanako leaned into the kitchen, smiling warmly.

“Ah, you’re up!  I… realize we still need to talk, but we have something for you outside, if you have a moment.”

“O-oh.”  Sanae nodded.  “Certainly, I’ll- I’ll be out in just a minute, Lady Yasaka.”

“...if you just had a shake, there’s hard candy in the pantry.”

Letting out a laugh, the wind charmer smiled.  “Thank you.”

Stepping outside, Sanae could see a group of kappa machinists taking their leave.  Turning towards the direction they had come from, she immediately stopped and stared in surprise.  In the path between the shrine and the lake was a massive golden robot, standing taller than the highest spires of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Near the path to the smiling robot was Suwako, staring at the golden attraction.  Steeling herself against her whirlwind of emotions, the wind charmer moved next to the curse god, taking in the sight as well.

 

The curse god gave a small nod as she came to a stop, neither making eye contact with one another.

“I uh…”  Suwako murmured, clearing her throat.  “We got you a robot.”

“...ah.”  The living god nodded.

The short blonde scuffed her foot absentmindedly.

“It um…”  She motioned towards it awkwardly.  “It was supposed to be done yesterday, which… which is why I sent you away; it was going to be a surprise, but uh… there were delays… and then… you know.”

“Mm.”

Taking a deep breath, Suwako slowly exhaled, trying to calm her nerves.

“I’m… sorry I don’t always properly show you my love, Sanae.”  The curse god whispered, touching her fingers. Finding no resistance, she gave her hand a squeeze.  “I can be really selfish; it- makes it hard to empathize at times.”

She glanced up at Sanae.  The living god continued to look at the giant robot, her eyes wet.

“Kanako’s used to my shit; she’s known me a long time, she’s knows what I mean with most of my actions.  She knows when to ignore me… and when to give me a kick in the head. But… you’re not her. You’re my priest.  You shouldn’t have to tell me when I cross the line… I should know.”

She looked at their hands for a moment before looking back up at her, brows pinched.  “And you’re more than just my priest, Sanae; you’re my family. There may be countless generations between me and you, but that doesn’t make you any less of my daughter.  I need to respect your feelings more. Just because we’ve gone through hard times doesn’t make it okay for me to be cruel.”

She could see Sanae chew on her trembling lip.

“...ever since coming here, it- oftentimes it’s felt like you lost respect for me.”  Her quiet voice cracked, tears began to spill as she blinked. “No matter what I did, it… felt like it didn’t matter.  Like I had served my purpose, and that was it.”

Suwako slowly clutched her chest, the wind charmer’s words hurting far more than any of the blows dealt by Kanako the day before.

“No… Heavens, no.  We _need_ you with us.  You alone saved two gods from withering away for over a decade.”  She turned to the wind charmer, shaking her head. “Not even when I ruled as a King, was I capable of such a feat of strength and compassion.  I wouldn’t have even considered it; very few would have. We need your kindness.”

“I-”

“Your heart is big, Sanae.  Just as big as that shrine maiden’s.”  She interrupted. “Don’t… don’t _ever_ doubt that.”

Saying nothing, Sanae nodded.  Turning back, the curse god stared at her feet, her vision blurring.

“I… I honestly think part of the problem is I’m impatient for you to walk _beside_ us as a full-fledged god; I know when you ascend, you will shine like no other has.  I keep treating you as if you’re one of us, but… that doesn’t make what I’ve been doing okay.  You’re still my ward; I need to properly care for you, too. I can’t just toss a gift your way every now and then and consider that good enough.  I’m- I’m going to be better about that.”

Looking up at the golden robot with glassy eyes, Suwako went quiet for a moment.

“I- I suppose-” she shrugged, throwing a hand out, “-giving you a giant robot is a poor way for me to _show_ that, but-”

Covering her face, Sanae began to laugh through her sobs.  Suwako smiled wistfully, her own turbulence calming as she felt the wind charmer’s burdens lessen.  While she was aware there was more work ahead to fix the damage between them, the curse god knew she was finally on the right track.


End file.
